Ms Rached was only a few weeks away from turning 24 and had been travelling the world when the incident happened. Source: Grace Rached, Facebook.
South Korean officials have confirmed that 23-year-old Australian Grace Rached is among over 150 people dead in the Seoul Halloween stampede.
The film student was one of 153 people killed in Itaewon, Seoul when a crowd of people surged down a narrow street during Halloween celebrations.
Her family released a statement, saying she was someone “who lit up the room with her infectious smile”.
“Grace always made others feel important and her kindness left and impression on everyone she ever met. Grace always cared about others and she was loved by all,” they said.
“She cared deeply about her two sisters and was a wonderful role model. We will all deeply miss our beautiful Grace.”
It’s believed over 100,000 people had gathered for Halloween celebrations on Saturday night. One Australian remains in a critical condition in a Seoul hospital.
NEW death toll: 149 in South Korea Halloween disaster described as a "presumed stampede" in Seoul's Itaewon nightlife district. Authorities are having a hard time identifying many victims & asking families for help. Many dead are in Halloween costumes without ID. @PamelaBrownCNN pic.twitter.com/K2wEg8V25T
— Will Ripley (@willripleyCNN) October 29, 2022
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese offered his condolences to the family of Ms Rached.
Ms Rached’s friend Nathan Taverniti recounted the horror of that night, saying that it was complete and utter chaos.
“I was there from the beginning all the way to the end, and I saw what happened … The situation was not caused by drunk people or excessive pushing, or whatever other gossip you’re hearing on the internet,” he said on Tik Tok.
“I was there at the front (of the crowd) at a T-intersection. There were already so many people in front of me. A group of girls fell down and a group of people were trying to help them up. But there were waves of people coming in from both sides.
“I turned around and told the crowd, you can’t come this way, people are dying, because I already knew how bad it was and people were being so rude and I had to tell them you can’t come this way.
Mr Taverniti added that the government had failed to adequately handle and prepare the situation.
“People need to know how bad it was and how little help there was,” he said.
“Nobody was paying attention.”
#SeoulStampede #ItaewonCrowdCrush #SeoulTragedy #KoreaStampede nobody is willing to listen ?? pic.twitter.com/9R9Yz9yxzo
— Zhaolusi_newfan (@jaejoongdara) October 30, 2022
22 of the 153 dead were foreigners from places such as China, Iran, Norway and Mexico. It’s been reported that majority of the people killed were in their 20s.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a national period of mourning saying the incident “is truly tragic”.
